QUICK NEWS, May 17: NEW ENERGY INVESTMENTS, Q1 2011; IKEA’S SUSTAINABILITY; OFFSHORE WIND AND PRICE; NEW WIRES FOR MIDWEST WIND

NEW ENERGY INVESTMENTS, Q1 2011
CLEAN EDGE stock indices
May 13, 2011 (Clean Edge)

"…The NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Green Energy Index (CELS) is a modified market capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of companies that are primarily manufacturers, developers, distributors, or installers of clean-energy technologies…

"…The top ten holdings as of May 16, 2011, were… China Longyuan Power Group Corp. Ltd (11.39%)… Enel Green Power S.p.A. (10.72%)… Iberdrola Renovables S.A. (10.19%)… Vestas Wind Systems A/S (8.67%)… EDF Energies Nouvelles S.A. (5.03%)… Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (4.99%)… REpower Systems AG (4.41%)… EDP Renovaveis S/A (4.20%)… China WindPower Group Ltd. (3.88%)… Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica S.A. (3.82%)…"

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"…The NASDAQ OMX® Clean Edge® Global Wind Energy Index (QWND) is a modified market-capitalization index designed to act as a transparent and liquid benchmark for the global wind energy sector. The Index includes companies that are primarily manufacturers, developers, distributors, installers, and users of energy derived from wind sources…"

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"…The top ten holdings as of May 13, 2011, were…Linear Technology Corporation (8.31%) … National Semiconductor Corporation (7.92%)… First Solar, Inc. (7.03%)… ON Semiconductor Corporation (6.87%)… Cree, Inc. (6.18%)… AVX Corporation (3.71%)… Tesla Motors, Inc. (3.46%)… Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. (3.38%)… MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (3.35%)… Itron, Inc. (3.0%)…

"…The NASDAQ OMX® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index (QGRD) is designed to act as a transparent and liquid benchmark for the smart grid and electric infrastructure sector. The Index includes companies that are primarily engaged and involved in electric grid; electric meters, devices, and networks; energy storage and management; and enabling software used by the smart grid and electric infrastructure sector…"


IKEA’S SUSTAINABILITY
IKEA Presents Sustainability Report 2010
March 30, 2010 (IKEA)

"IKEA, the world’s largest home furnishing retailer, has released its 2010 Sustainability Report (September 1, 2009 – August 31, 2010), which recaps and highlights its sustainable progress, accomplishments and new opportunities in the areas of social and environmental responsibility. The report describes the priorities for 2015 that influence the entire value chain from product design and development to the very end of a product’s life as outlined in the new IKEA Sustainability direction...

"Highlights [include]…the IKEA Sustainability Product Score card…[which] is a new internal tool for more sustainable product development and purchasing that will help classify the IKEA home furnishing range within 11 criteria that have an impact on the environment…"

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"…The share of certified wood increased substantially from 16.2 to 23.6 percent…The number of IKEA buildings with solar panel systems nearly doubled, taking us one step further towards the goal of operating all IKEA units on 100 percent renewable energy…

"…[The decision was] made to invest an additional 7.5 million euro in UNICEF’s water sanitation program in India. This support will help expand the scope of the program in 15 states…More than 80,000 farmers in India and Pakistan are now using more sustainable farming practices. The share of more sustainable cotton in the IKEA range more than doubled compared to last year to 13.4 percent of total IKEA use…"

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"Highlights from the IKEA US Sustainability FY 10 Report…[include] IKEA announced in June 2010, that it would start to phase out the sale of incandescent light bulbs in all US stores…[for] energy saving…CFLs… LED[s] and solar lamps.

"…IKEA US announced that the new store opening in fall 2011 in Centennial, Colorado will be constructed with geothermal technology…IKEA initiated 11 solar panel projects on 7 IKEA stores…1.5 million trees were planted across America through the IKEA Plant A Tree campaign…"


OFFSHORE WIND AND PRICE
Offshore wind company's price less in NY than RI
May 7, 2011 (Boston Globe)

"A wind power company planning to sell Rhode Island electricity from a small offshore wind farm is offering wind power for far less in Long Island.

"Deepwater Wind says it's told the Long Island Power Authority it can sell the power from a planned 200-turbine wind farm in Rhode Island Sound for a price in the ‘low teens’ in cents per kilowatt hour."

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"The starting price is 24.4 cents per kilowatt hour for Rhode Island for power from a five- to eight-turbine wind farm near Block Island…[largely because] the Block Island project's smaller scale means relatively higher construction costs.

"Two local manufacturers who say the Block Island project's price is too high are suing to have the power deal overturned."


NEW WIRES FOR MIDWEST WIND
Proposal would route 500-mile wind energy line near Q-C
Jennifer DeWitt, May 8, 2011 (Quad-City Times)

"A lack of transmission capabilities is slowing the growth of wind energy projects in Iowa and Illinois…Clean Line Energy Partners, an independent developer of transmission lines, is working to build four different transmission projects around the country — including one that will cross Iowa and Illinois…Rock Island Clean Line LLC…is a 500-mile long overhead, high voltage direct current transmission line…

"The line will deliver up to 3,500 megawatts of clean power from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota to communities and businesses in Illinois and other states to the east…enough energy to power the equivalent of 1.4 million homes…Hans Detweiler, the company’s development director, said Rock Island Clean Line is a $1.7 billion project that will help leverage another $7 billion in investment in wind energy projects across the Midwest…"

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"Clean Line has spent the past year identifying a possible corridor for the transmission line, meeting with local governments, federal authorities, agricultural and other interest groups, and stakeholders…The proposed corridor begins in western Iowa…and traverse[s] across Iowa to… southwest of Chicago…[T]he corridor varies from 3 to 10 miles wide in different locations. But once a final route is chosen, it would only be 150 to 200 feet wide.

"The company would purchase easements for the transmission line, but it has yet to work out those details. The construction is expected to create more than 5,000 construction jobs…Developers expect the project to take five to seven years to complete, with construction expected to begin in 2014 and ending in 2016…Over the next year, it will begin the approval process for routing the line with the ICC and IUB."

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"Clean Line Energy president Michael Skelly said the company is working closely with local governmental officials, county staff, federal agencies, conservation and other interest groups to site the long-haul transmission project..[T]he new project could help attract manufacturers of wind turbine components to the region…

"Wind has been one of the region’s target industries for the past couple years because of the area’s proximity to the wind producers and its transportation strengths — from interstate to rail and the river…In addition to the future development it could spur, Detweiler said the project also is expected to create millions of dollars in state and local tax revenues…"